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Published
by Koei
Developed by Koei
Release Date: Out Now (Re-released on 11th March)
Price: £14.99 (Re-release price)
I've
always been a fan of turn-based strategy games. I know the
very idea of a turn-based game just doesn't do it for some
people but I happen to appreciate the allowance for strategy
that turn-based games have. For years, in my ignorance,
I thought all the best turn-based strategy games were on
the PC but over the years my eyes have been opened to games
such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Advance Wars, Disgaea, Romance
of the Three Kingdoms VIII etc., and it's fair to say that
there are some really excellent turn-based games on many
different formats. Koei have continually provided top quality
strategy games for the PlayStation 2 and this review will
look at one of their finest, Dynasty Tactics 2.
Now
if you're a PlayStation 2 gamer you'll be asking 'Why is
he reviewing a game that was released in 2003?' Well to
be truthful I've really enjoyed the Koei games I've reviewed
and when we asked Koei if it would be possible to look at
Dynasty Tactics 2 they agreed to let us. This review is
more appropriate than I first realised though. Both Dynasty
Tactics and Dynasty Tactics 2 are to be re-released as budget
titles (on the 25th February and 11th March respectively).
It's just possible that you might be a fan of turn-based
strategy games and were completely unaware of the Dynasty
Tactics games so hopefully this review will draw your attention
to the series.
As
with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games, the Dynasty
Tactics games are based upon the Chinese texts 'Romance
of the Three Kingdoms' (sometimes just called Three Kingdoms).
In the Dynasty Tactics games however, the focus is squarely
on combat. The battles play out like a board game in that
pieces are moved one by one across the grid. The game offers
four main campaigns where you can play as Cao Cao, Liu Bei,
Sun Ce and Lu Bu. The campaigns are not exactly linear either
which adds considerably to the replay value of the game.
Outside of a battle you'll get to organise and move armies
(Your units, which represent an army and not just a single
character, gain experience through battles and the longer
they survive the more experienced and more powerful they
become) as well as spy on towns and carry out other actions
that could aid you in achieving your goals. All of this
is secondary to the battles though.
We
reviewed Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII last year and
if there was one area of the game that needed improving
it had to be the battles as they weren't as good as they
might have been. The battles in Dynasty Tactics 2 have no
such problems though and they are thoroughly entertaining.
What makes the battles so special is the way you can link
your units together to pull off mighty combo moves. The
special attacks in Dynasty Tactics are called Tactics. You
can only use Tactics when your unit is in a certain position
(usually denoted by a green coloured square on the grid).
You can usually only use a Tactic once per battle as well
so you have to be careful when you use them. These tactics
can either be performed with a single unit or, preferably,
combined with another unit for even greater damage with
combo attacks. Some of these combo attacks can be huge and
very destructive. When used correctly these Tactics abilities
can really make a difference and swing the battle in your
favour. Tactics are not always about inflicting damage on
your opponents though. The morale of your units is a top
priority and certain Tactics can increase the morale of
other units. As your units gain more experience they will
learn more advance tactics. Whilst it can prove a little
tricky mastering how to use these Tactics effectively it's
well worth it.
It's
not just Tactics that make the battles enjoyable though.
Siege weapons can be built as can defensive structures.
This serves to add greater depth to the game. The nature
of the terrain also has to be considered too which is very
impressive. All too often it's easy to assume that console
strategy games will be dumbed down compared to the games
that are on the PC. Koei once again prove that this is not
necessarily the case and a PlayStation 2 game can be just
as deep and richly rewarding. If only this battle system
could be implemented into the Romance of the Three Kingdoms
games we would have a pretty amazing game to enjoy.
Despite
being a turn-based game the graphics in Dynasty Tactics
2 are actually very good. On the battlefield your units
still animate even though they are bound to the square there
are on until you move them. Battlefields range from forest
plains to fortified towns and they all look good. You'll
notice that your units are oversized when compared to their
surroundings. Your units are larger than the trees and building
for instance but this is simply to make your units easier
to see (in pretty much the same way as in games like Civilization
III). The cutscenes look good too and help add atmosphere
to the game. Having said that though the cutscenes that
accompany most of the attacks can become rather repetitive
but thankfully you can skip them if you want and this will
have the added bonus of speeding up the battles. During
a battle you can move the camera with the right control
stick to survey the battlefield.
Dynasty
Tactics 2 is absolutely fine for deaf gamers. The main cutscenes
are subtitled as are the tutorial messages and conversations
that take place during a scenario. Your objectives, conditions
for defeat and special prizes are all listed in text as
are the amount of days you have left. Most of the text within
the game is placed on overlays that make the white text
very easy to read which is excellent. The objectives and
other details can be recalled at any time during a battle
which again is superb and it means if you come back to a
battle after a long absence you'll always know what to do.
There are attacks that trigger cutscenes and these aren't
subtitled. Only a few words are usually said though and
it doesn't add anything to the games story so there's no
real problem. Any important conversations that occur during
a battle are subtitled though.
Whilst
I wouldn't quite put Dynasty Tactics 2 in the same bracket
as Disgaea or the recently released Phantom Brave (although
they could be more appealing if you prefer a historical
flavour to your strategy games as opposed to a fantasy one)
it's still a great game that all strategy fans should own.
The Tactics system can seem a little strange at first and
it does take a while to fully appreciate but thankfully
the tutorials (which are in text) do explain how the system
works and they prevent the learning curve from becoming
too steep. If you're a fan of turn-based strategy games
and haven't yet experienced the Dynasty Tactics series you
would be well advised to pick up a copy of these games when
they are shortly re-released especially as online stores
are listing Dynasty Tactics and Dynasty Tactics 2 for just
£14.99.
Overall
Game Rating: 8.8/10
Dynasty Tactics 2 is a great example of how good a strategy
game can be on the PlayStation 2. It's quite unlike any
other game on the console (apart from Dynasty Tactics of
course) and is a must for strategy fans.
Deaf
Gamers Classification:
(Click
the letter or here
for details)
No problems at all for deaf gamers.
The comments made during the attack cutscenes are not subtitled
but this doesn't spoil anything.
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